The Best Movies of 2007 - Part Three

(Continued from Saturday's post and last night's post)

05. 3:10 TO YUMA - (A)

I'm not a real big fan of all of the epic Western classics. I can't say that I've seen even a handful of them over my entire life, to be honest. But when you put Christian Bale (who, by just being Batman at all, flew up my favorite actor list - and by being the best Batman ever, went to the very top!) and Russell Crowe together in a film directed by James Mangold (director of WALK THE LINE, a film I love because of the Cash factor), well, I wasn't going to miss it. And when I experienced the movie for the first time (I'll let you know about a second visit after I watch it again this week - it comes out on DVD tomorrow) I was absolutely blown away! There is a regular dose of action and deception as is the case with any Western, but it is the chemistry between the actors through the tight dialogue that causes it to rise so high on the list. And the most amazing thing of all about the film in my mind was the performance by supporting actor Ben Foster. The young actor (previously in films like X-MEN 3 - as the character called Angel - and the TV show Six Feet Under) is delightfully evil as Crowe's right-hand man. People can debate the ending and whether or not it's great or whatever but for me, it was just another perfect step to conclude a very near-perfect modern Western.

04. TALK TO ME - (A)

One of the two best performances this year by a Lead Actor is in this film, starring Don Cheadle as real-life DJ Petey Greene. The biopic (or sorts) tells the true story of how Petey Greene rose to prominence in 1960s Washington D.C. Cheadle has been one of my most favorite actors for a long time now and here he proves that he can handle the lead role just fine. Entertaining from the first scene on, the film is highlighted by great performances all around. I would love to see nominations for not only Cheadle, but also Chiwetel Ejiofor for Supporting Actor and Taraji P. Henson for Supporting Actress. Also fantastic in small roles are Martin Sheen and Cedric the Entertainer. This one had my support through the classic tunes, the groovy outfits (sorry, I got a little carried away there. . .) and the powerful messages portrayed by the filmmakers.

03. KNOCKED UP - (A)

This year's THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. No coincidence that the creators of this film (namely, Judd Apatow) were behind that gem as well. This run of brutally raunchy films that at their center are truly sweet at heart is just plain fantastic. Not for everyone to be sure, KNOCKED UP carries with it several of the funniest scenes from any movie over the last several years (with the best of these being the entire scene in Las Vegas with Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd!). But not only does it make you laugh (which it will!) but it also makes you think while taking successful strides towards being a truly sweet romantic comedy. Seth Rogen is now a leading comedic presence and Paul Rudd is without a doubt the funniest wingman out there right now (see: ANCHORMAN, VIRGIN). There was no comedy better this year than KNOCKED UP.

02. MICHAEL CLAYTON - (A)

A confusing, fast-paced, and incredibly intense thriller. This George Clooney vehicle is (and I'm borrowing from critics here with this quote, but I thought it too while watching it) a fantastic John Grisham novel that is just, well, not one. Of that same ilk, MC is an absolute winner of a film. Clooney is toned way down here in a very bare performance that shows his real acting chops. Beyond Clooney, Tom Wilkinson provides pure insanity (or is it?) to the film and Tilda Swinton, in a very daring role (consider her first scene where she attempts to dry off her heavily perspiring underarms before a highly stressful interview), is also nomination-worthy. And I promise that you will never look at horses in a field the same way. I'm looking forward to watching it again once it comes out on DVD to recapture that feeling I had while I was watching the amazing final shot that continues for several awe-inspiring minutes. Who knew something so simple can be considered so brilliant!

01. RATATOUILLE - (A+)

The easiest decision of the entire bunch, hands down. I have watched this absolutely perfect Pixar-animated film over five times already and it truly gets better each time. Everything from the practically perfect CGI (the graphics are so life-like you forget that you are watching an animated film) to the top notch voice cast (Patton Oswalt of "King of Queens" fame is the perfect choice for Remy, the main character, but the best of the best is certainly Peter O' Toole as the food critic Anton Ego) is precise and exact to the point that I'm positive that there are no useless scenes or unnecessary lines throughout the entire movie. Another note about O' Toole briefly: his monologue at the end of the film (his review of Gusteau's restaurant) may be one of the best written and spoken pieces of film I have ever heard. Just plain brilliant!

Writer/Director Brad Bird (who previously struck gold with THE INCREDIBLES, another genius Pixar flick) is clearly among the best animator filmmakers out there and Pixar can do absolutely no wrong (consider their lineup: TOY STORY, MONSTERS INC, FINDING NEMO, and both of the films by Bird). Just thinking about this film makes me smile. It went directly to my TOP 25 all-time list and I would have to admit that after all of my viewings, it has to be in the TOP 10. I am not ashamed to say that this animated film about a rat who wants to be a world class chef in Paris was my favorite film of 2007 and I think that's exactly right. There is nothing wrong with RATATOUILLE. And since I used the word already about ten times in this paragraph, I'll say it again and leave it at that. In my mind, RATATOUILLE is perfect.

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I hope you enjoyed the list - - hit me back with all sorts of comments!

I'll be back later on in the week with an updating post about all sorts of new things including something very exciting from my neck of the woods. Let's just say that the commute to school this semester is going to be a bit more bearable. . .

Until later,